Reporter

The silver-tongued American businessman who conned his way into a six-figure job at Myer served time in a Texas jail after being convicted of serious offences.

Texas Department of Public Safety records show Andrew Flanagan, then known as Jeffery Wayne Flanagan, was sentenced to four years' jail in 1992 after pleading guilty in a Dallas court to the charges of burglary, reckless driving, resisting arrest and assault.

The revelations raise further questions about how thorough retail giant Myer and recruitment company Quest Personnel were when they checked Mr Flanagan's background before appointing him as a senior executive.

Mr Flanagan was last week sacked on his first day on the job as group general manager of strategy and business development after Myer discovered he had falsified his CV and references, which included Spanish retailer Zara. It is unclear how much time Mr Flanagan served in jail for the convictions.

Documents show he was later paroled by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department. He received the jail term after being on probation for an earlier conviction for the illegal use of credit cards. While Fairfax Media has been unable to speak to Mr Flanagan, the criminal record appears to corroborate other official documents filed in Australia.

The rap sheet lists the same birth date and alias used on bankruptcy documents filed by Mr Flanagan in 2009. It records his place of birth as Arkansas, which matches company documents filed with ASIC. The assault offence is listed as "retaliation", which the Texas penal code describes as the threat or harm against a public servant, witness, prospective witness, informant or someone reporting a crime.

A message from Fairfax Media asking Mr Flanagan to comment was not returned.

Since he was sacked by Myer, Mr Flanagan's history of similar deceptions has emerged. Earlier this year he resigned after two months as CEO of the Australian Arab Chamber of Commerce when it was discovered he had told similar falsehoods. He was also fired after short stints working for recruitment agency Carmichael Fisher and Bendigo Health and once gave a speech to University of Melbourne business students on how to get a senior job.

It is unknown whether Mr Flanagan is a permanent resident in Australia. According to the Immigration Department, applicants can be denied a visa if they have a substantial criminal record. So far, Quest Personnel has declined to elaborate on just how it was so spectacularly duped by Mr Flanagan.

The Geelong-based company is not known for executive recruitment and sometimes operates out of the home of managing director Lorraine Tribe.

Those who know Mr Flanagan describe him as a ''smooth talker'' and ''a bit of a chameleon''. His last known address is a rental property in Mount Waverley, in Melbourne's leafy eastern suburbs, however he recently moved house.